Ah! A place for hyperextension

[Giannina]

The women's rhythmic gymnastics is the place for our "beloved" hyperextensions! Here the possessors of this unique talent can demonstrate it to the fullest extent and look terrific as they simultaneously toss balls, sticks (forget the names of those things) and loooong ribbons. It's obvious that these athletes have ballet training; they have beautifully arched feet, can perform multiple pirouettes (I've seen strings of fouettes) and leaps. Now the leaps. Those grand jetes in which the legs span a lot more than 180 degrees may score a gazillion points in gymnastics but to me they are ungainly and leave me cold. But better in gymnastics than in the middle of Swan Lake.

Giannina

[perky]

They certainly have mastered the dropped crotch grand jetes very well.

I must have a hidden bizarro streak in me because all week I've been finding the rhythmetic gymnastics and synchronized swimming events compulsively watchable.

Giannina I don't know what those stick things are called either, but they look like bowling pins :shrug:

[Swiss_Chard]

They're called clubs. I have to agree. I don't like the leaps either.

[Helene]

The entire rhythmic gymnastics competition reminded me of tryouts for Cirque du Soleil.

[Juliet]

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Especially the ribbons.......

It's not classical ballet, but so what?

I also like Cirque du Soleil

[Ostrich]

I also love it. And really, most of the time I like the hyperextension. Looking at some of the pictures of rhythmic gym, it struck me that many of these girls have passed the point where, to me, the hyperextension looks ugly and have now reached a new stage where, IMO at least, it creates new lines that are impossible to achieve in ballet. I wouldn't advise dancers to copy them, but as gym I love it.

Now for a few questions:

1) I recently read that there is rhythmic gym for men as well, but it is not an Olympic sport. What do they do, what apparatus do they use and why isn't it an Olympic sport?

2) Is it possible for a rhythmic gymnast to make the transition from rhythmic gym to ballet? Obviously they haven't done point work (or have they, to achieve those lovely arches?), but in general they seem to be very classically trained (minus the hyperextension, of course). Then again, did Zakharova ever have aspirations in the rhythmic gym lines?

[JaneD]

Ostrich

I can get an answer for you, but not for a couple of weeks as I'm about to go on holiday. My jazz dance teacher - who is a former Royal Ballet dancer - also teaches ballet to the British Rhythmic Gymnatics team!

Jane

[Ostrich]

With regard to my first question, I've found an answer. It seems to be a sport mainly popular in Japan and the gymnasts use rings, stick, rope and clubs.

And here are two URLs to illustrate my point about the rhythmic gymnasts creating new and, in their own way, beautiful lines:

rsg.net/cgi-bin/show?pic=Gontar,Olga_5

rsg.net/cgi-bin/show?pic=Kabaeva,Alina_5

In general, however, I do prefer it live. The pictures can look rather grotesque.

[floss]

Ohhh, how I loved the rhythmic gymnastics. I even taped it so I can watch it over and over and over again. :shrug: The wretched TV station that had the rights for the Olympic Games would never say when exactly they would show anything except for the swimming (of course) and Jana Pitman's race. You just had watch and hope that it would come on before you had to drag yourself off to bed.

[Cliff]

I only saw a few minutes of the team rhythmic gymnastics, and it looked like much more of a performance art than the other Olympic team events. So I got to wondering. Have any ballet choreographers, perhaps in pursuit of the avant-garde, incorporated the rhythmic gymnastic elements of balls, hoops, clubs, and ribbons into a real ballet? If a pointe shoe can revolutionize ballet, then other items may also offer something to expand the vocabulary.

[Helene]

Have any ballet choreographers, perhaps in pursuit of the avant-garde, incorporated the rhythmic gymnastic elements of balls, hoops, clubs, and ribbons into a real ballet?  If a pointe shoe can revolutionize ballet, then other items may also offer something to expand the vocabulary.

Re: ribbons, although not used in quite the same way as in rhythmic gymnastics, there was inventive use of ribbon in Tensile Involvement, Nikolai's piece at the beginning of the film The Company, and Julia Adam's piece for Oregon Ballet Theater, il nodo.

The only hoop piece I've seen is in Candy Cane's role, in Balanchine's version of The Nutcracker, which was based on the Maryinsky version he danced as a student.

[Victoria Leigh]

Some versions of Nutcracker use ribbons in the Chinese variation, and they are very effective. However, they are not used in the same way as in rhythmic gymnastics! There is also a ribbon pas de deux in La Fille Mal Gardée, however this is also quite far from rhythmic gymnastics, thank heavens!

I have nothing against this sport, and it certainly is more artistic than many others, HOWEVER, it is NOT ballet, and never will be, I HOPE!

[Alexandra]

Don't worry, Victoria, at least not yet. They wear too many clothes. The only sport from this Olympics that we'll see in ballet is beach volleyball, I fear.

[Victoria Leigh]

:speechless:

[jose manuel]

hi

I love rhythmic gymnastics. you can see many videos on www.rsgvideos.com

I recommend you to see anna bessonova´s routines (she´s arguably the best rsg gymnast in the world). her hoop routine is to swan lake.

on www.rsg.net/forum you can learn a lot from the sport. there is a photo/video section in this forum.

jose manuel